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- pronunciation:
- aI
d
 l
- parts of speech:
- adjective, intransitive verb, transitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (adjective, verb), Homophone Note, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
adjective |
| inflections: |
idler, idlest |
| definition 1: |
not active or in use; not working or scheduled to work; unemployed; unoccupied.
The now idle factory had once employed over five hundred workers.Her husband's been idle since the factory closed down.- synonyms:
- dormant, inactive, jobless, unemployed, unoccupied, unused
- antonyms:
- busy, employed, engaged, working
- similar words:
- lazy, quiescent, sleepy, vacant
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| definition 2: |
tending to avoid work; lazy; slothful.
That idle brother of yours should get out and find himself a job.- synonyms:
- indolent, lazy, otiose, slothful
- antonyms:
- active, industrious
- similar words:
- inert, shiftless, slack, sluggish
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| definition 3: |
not used to achieve worthwhile or important goals; frivolous.
They spent their time engaged in idle chatter.- synonyms:
- frivolous, petty, shallow, trifling, trivial
- antonyms:
- meaningful, serious
- similar words:
- blank, insignificant, nugatory, slight, superficial, useless, vagabond
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| definition 4: |
having no basis in fact; groundless.
That's nothing but an idle rumor.- synonyms:
- baseless, empty, groundless, pointless, unfounded, unsubstantiated, worthless
- antonyms:
- proven
- similar words:
- hollow, insignificant, meaningless
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| definition 5: |
futile or useless; ineffective.
I don't put any stock in his idle threats.These were simply idle wishes that would never become reality.- synonyms:
- futile, useless, vain
- antonyms:
- serious
- similar words:
- aimless, fruitless, good-for-nothing, nugatory, otiose, pointless, void
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| related words: |
asleep, flimsy, flippant, hopeless, lethargic, listless, quiet, remiss, standing, truant, unemployed, vain |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| inflections: |
idles, idling, idled |
| definition 1: |
to pass time in not working or not accomplishing anything.
They spent the summer simply idling.- synonyms:
- laze, loaf, loll, lollygag, lounge
- similar words:
- vegetate
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| definition 2: |
to move lazily; saunter.
He was idling along the sidewalk.- synonyms:
- dawdle, dilly-dally, hang around, linger, loiter, lollygag, mosey, piddle
- similar words:
- amble, coast, drift, lounge, putter, saunter, slouch, tarry
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| definition 3: |
of a machine or motor vehicle, to operate out of gear, slowly, or without accomplishing work or motion.
The car idled in the driveway.- similar words:
- rev, run
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| related words: |
loiter, loll, mope, poke, procrastinate, rest, wear |
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to pass (time) without accomplishing anything (usu. fol. by "away").
We idled the hours away at the beach.- synonyms:
- dawdle, laze, linger, loaf, lounge, while
- similar words:
- fritter, kill, trifle
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| definition 2: |
to cause to be or become idle.
The storm idled the harvest workers.- synonyms:
- still
- similar words:
- deactivate
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| related words: |
lounge, rest |
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| derivations: |
idly (adv.), idleness (n.) |
The words idle and idol (a statue) sound alike but have different meanings.
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